Monday, May 21, 2007

3.1 Miles 26:33.05

No, it wasn't a test. I ran faster than intended, and decided to stick with it. My goal of running four miles fell to the wayside. Between the heat and a faster pace, I knew it would be tough. I tried instead to keep my pace.

What good came out of it is I notched down my 5K time, and ran each mile progressively faster. It tells me that I should break 26:00 in a race without trouble.

My right calf is tight. I walked 2.5 laps with Dave the Dieter (he just broke 200 lbs, having lost 40 lbs so far), and felt it tightening after the first lap, and decided to call it there for the day. I have more miles to go, and today is not the day to do them.

The challenge in setting daily goals is that I still do not know my pace, or have the endurance to just run as long as I please.

I need to learn to hold back. Holding back is hard when I know I am not going especially fast. Seeing the race Saturday, and comparing times in my head, as well as reviewing last year's Cosley Run results is causing me to want to get out and see what I've really got. A track cannot replicate this. The track gives me a lot, but misses the adrenaline, the buzz of a crowd, and the intensity of competition.

I am not sure at this point where I would really end up in a flat, fast course. I think 25:00 is very possible. Will the competition cause me to start too quickly?

I'm seeing jumps in improvement, but missing the advantage running during April. I'd like to see further movement. If I want to hit 20:00 by summer's end, I need a break through of several minutes. I think I will see a three minute improvement by the end of June if I train hard and regularly, which would put me at 23:30 or so.

Tomorrow, I will shoot for the 4-5 mile distance, then take it easier on Wednesday with 3.5 slow miles.